Economist Tyler Cohen Avoids Restaurants Where Patrons Are Smiling

Economist Tyler Cohen wants consumers to think twice
about walking into a restaurant where the patrons are
smiling.

It's not that they're serving bad food per se, it's just that the
food won't be all that great, he told Business Insider.

"A lot of restaurants are for socializing," Cohen said. They're
"patronized by cool people, yuppies. They're not bad, they're
slightly above average, but they tend to be somewhat
expensive."

Conversely, "when you look at the really best places, the people
who look grim are there for the food. When I see that, I
start to wonder, 'Hey this is a really good place.' My heart
lightens up a bit, I read more reviews."

In his mind, consumers should want to seek out surprising
experiences at restaurants, which often translates to eating at
ethnic hole-in-the-walls and spending no more than $20 a meal.
Pay any more than that, he said, and you're likely going to get a
generic meal at a "corporate" and overdone place.